About the Exhibitions

Transcendent Deities of India: The Everyday Occurrence of the Divine
Hindu deities have been depicted in physical form for many centuries in a range of media. This exhibition features modern and contemporary representations of these gods and goddesses, which preserve the tangible connection between worshippers and the objects of their reverence. Artworks include photographs by contemporary artist Manjari Sharma, digital and drawn works from Abhishek Singh, and earlier chromolithographs from the Raja Ravi Varma Press, some of which are further embellished by the addition of fabric and zari work. Religious pilgrims frequently make arduous journeys to see, and in turn be ‘seen by’, important images of deities. By drawing out these aspects of religious art and practice in South Asia, visitors are invited to consider their role as observers, and the effect of their own gaze upon a subject.

Urban Asia: Kirk Pedersen
Although he was trained as a painter, Kirk Pedersen explores urban Asia through a camera lens, reconfiguring perceptions of the visual and spatial densities represented by the great cities there. His works show clear connections to the Abstract Expressionist and Minimalist movements of the 20th century, while capturing a distinct era in Asia’s transition to a global epicenter. Born in 1959 in Broken Bow, Nebraska, Pedersen moves through the Asian cities—which are his subjects for extended periods of time—composing intentional perspectives that highlight the charged relationship between resident and city, as well as a city’s spread into surrounding natural environs.

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